Auckland Zoo welcomes new zebra born on Christmas Eve

Auckland Zoo's new zebra foal with its mum, Layla. Photo / Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo welcomed a new addition to the family on Christmas Eve with the birth of a new zebra foal.

This morning the zoo announced Layla, a 7-year-old zebra, gave birth to the foal in the early hours of Christmas Eve.

Layla and the foal are doing well and staff are monitoring them closely as they take time to bond.

In the very early hours of Christmas Eve morning Auckland Zoo had a special stripy delivery - a beautiful zebra foal!...

Posted by Auckland Zoo on Tuesday, 25 December 2018

"We couldn't be happier with the latest addition to the zoo whanau and look forward to visitors being able to say hello," the zoo posted.

The foal's gender is not yet known.

It is the 43rd zebra foal born at Auckland zoo. The last was a male zebra named Unyazi who was born on September 21, 2010.

Auckland Zoo, which is part of Australasian regional breeding programme, now has five zebras: 26-year-old female Itika; Male Carlo, 11; female twin sisters Layla and Dalila, 7, and the new foal.